Soon, a giant falcon circled in the air for a moment before slowly descending.
Allen and Nami jumped down.
"Boss, Big Sis Nami, thank goodness, you're finally here."
Seeing them, the Nyaban Brothers immediately came forward and quickly explained the situation.
Allen and Nami immediately went inside to check.
Sanji was giving a blood transfusion to the dying Gin, and the doctors' emergency treatment was nearing its end.
Saving his life was likely no longer an issue, but how well he would recover remained to be seen.
Seeing Gin's injuries, Allen couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
It was fortunate that the Isshi-20 were here—the top twenty doctors in a country world-renowned for its medical expertise. If it had been the doctors from their previous ship, whether Gin would have survived today would be another story entirely.
After coming back outside, Allen jumped onto the roof of the highest nearby building. He gazed out, taking a general look at the Marines' movements in the distance.
They were currently in the eastern district of the royal capital, while the Marines had all entered through the south gate. The main force was heading straight for the royal palace, with only a few soldiers coming to the square to inspect the battlefield.
"It seems the Marines won't be searching this far."
Nefertari Cobra slowly walked up from behind and said calmly, "Once your men have their injuries treated, I'll take you all to the hospital. The environment for recovery is better there, and you won't have to worry about Marine harassment."
Allen glanced back at him and nodded. "Yeah, thanks."
"No, I'm the one who should be saying thank you..."
Cobra closed his eyes and slightly bowed his head, his tone sincere. "Young man, thank you for saving this country. If you need anything else, please don't hesitate to ask. As long as we can help..."
"Ten billion Berries," Allen said.
"..."
Cobra's voice abruptly stopped. He looked up at Allen, patted his sleeves, and turned to leave.
Allen bared his sharp fangs and yelled angrily at him, "Get back here, you stinky old man!"
"Ahem."
Cobra covered his mouth with his hand and coughed, turning back to look at Allen with a helpless expression.
"Young man, it's not that I'm stingy, but you've seen the state of this country. Even if you emptied the royal treasury, you wouldn't find that kind of money."
There was no exaggeration in his words. The treasury's funds had all been taken out to provide emergency relief for the civilians. Right now, they couldn't even produce one billion in cash, let alone ten billion Berries.
Allen more or less understood the royal family's financial situation, so he said, "Can't you raise the money from the citizens? Besides, I'm not asking you to pay it right now. Giving you a year should be enough, right?"
"A year..."
Cobra pondered for a moment. Given Alabasta's population size, it actually wouldn't be too difficult. Without the impact of war, the military expenses saved over a year alone would be more than enough.
Cobra nodded and said, "Let's forget about raising it from the citizens. One billion Berries a month. Within a year, I can pay off this reward... or rather, this gratitude fee."
"That straightforward?"
Allen looked a bit surprised. He stroked his chin and mused, "Looks like ten billion was too little. If I had known, I should have asked for a hundred billion."
"..."
*Are you determined to drive me to my grave today?* Cobra thought.
After a while, the Isshi-20 had basically finished treating all the wounded. Cobra also summoned the army to help transfer them to the hospital next to the royal palace.
Robin and Koza had disappeared at some point, nowhere to be seen.
Before leaving, Allen called the Nyaban Brothers over again, instructing them to take a group of subordinates and make a trip to the Rain Dinners casino.
Since the Marines had already landed, they would probably soon realize what had happened here. They needed to raid Crocodile's headquarters before the Marines beat them to it.
By the time all these messy affairs were handled, evening had already arrived.
...
The sun slowly sank below the sea. Aside from the wounded who had to stay in the hospital to recover, the rest of the group was invited into the royal palace by Cobra as his guests.
The banquet hall was filled with lively laughter and cheerful voices, the pirates partying wildly without any regard for their image.
At the very back, several people sat around a long table. Allen hung up the Den Den Mushi after a call from the Nyaban Brothers over at Rain Dinners.
"They had someone estimate it. Between the cash and treasure, they managed to scrape together about nine billion Berries."
A look of joy appeared on Allen's face.
Nami was so excited that her eyes practically turned into Berry symbols, nearly fainting on the spot.
Sanji's lips curled up slightly. "Looks like a massive haul this time."
"Yeah, we can buy a lot of Devil Fruits and new weapons again," Allen laughed.
Hearing this, the smile on Nami's face vanished instantly.
*It feels like the money is already gone...*
"Oh right, I think I saw Miss Nami's friends in the royal palace today," Sanji suddenly mentioned.
"My friends?"
Nami looked confused, with a hint of curiosity in her eyes.
Sanji stroked his chin, recalling as he spoke, "It was the Straw Hat kid's crew we met back in Cocoyasi Village. There was also a talking raccoon dog and a super cute blue-haired beauty."
"Luffy?! Why would they be here?"
Nami's eyes widened in surprise.
At this moment, Cobra spoke up.
"Regarding them, I actually heard from Vivi after returning to the palace. She had previously infiltrated Baroque Works to investigate the truth behind the kingdom's civil war. Later, when her identity was exposed and she faced assassination, it was the Straw Hat crew who protected her."
"Unfortunately, they are no longer here. Well before evening, Vivi set off with them and Koza, heading toward the Rebel Army's headquarters in Katorea."
"If the journey goes smoothly... a round trip will probably take about two days. However," Cobra looked at Nami and chuckled softly. "I didn't expect them to be your friends. If I had known, I would have had them stay the night and set off tomorrow."
"Ah, it's fine. We'll still have a chance to see them when they get back in a couple of days anyway."
Nami smiled in relief.
Unfortunately, she overlooked one thing. If the journey went smoothly, two days for a round trip would indeed be enough. But wherever a certain idiot was, the journey was always bound to be filled with all sorts of accidents.
For example, having their water and food stolen by Deception Birds, running into desert pirates along the way, falling into a quicksand trap, getting tricked and lost by a mirage, or falling into some ancient ruins and encountering mummies...
In short, bizarre events that one could never even imagine were just a daily routine for a certain someone.
At this point, Sanji looked at Cobra curiously again. "Vivi? If I remember correctly, that's what they called that beauty. Do you know her?"
"Of course, that is my daughter, the princess of this country."
Cobra nodded with a smile. The moment Vivi was mentioned, a look of gratification and pride unconsciously appeared on his face.
"Now that the crisis in Alabasta is over, it's the perfect time to start grooming her to succeed the throne, as well as her bridal training."
"Vivi has also reached a suitable age for marriage. When the time comes, I'll have to find her an excellent husband to properly assist her in managing the country."
Thinking about how the country would slowly regain its former vitality in Vivi's hands, Cobra's eyes couldn't help but reveal a hint of anticipation for the future.
"King... ah, no, Father-in-law, when do you think we should hold the wedding?"
Sanji shamelessly leaned forward, clasping his hands together.
Allen and Nami gave him a speechless, deadpan stare.
Even Cobra couldn't help but freeze for a moment. Looking at Sanji winking and making faces, he quickly realized the man must be joking.
"Hahahaha! Although you all helped this country, I'm afraid the citizens wouldn't be able to accept the princess marrying a pirate. However," Cobra chuckled, then looked at Sanji and joked back, "If you were a prince of some country, I might just agree."
"Is that so... I originally intended to interact with you all as an ordinary person, but since you put it that way, Father-in-law, I won't hide it anymore."
Sanji suddenly dropped his smile and said with a completely serious face,
"To tell you the truth, in my hometown, people call me Prince Sanji...!"
"Pfft—hahahaha!!"
Bang! Bang! Bang!
"Prince Sanji! I'm dying of laughter, hahaha!"
Cobra and Nami nearly did a spit-take, slapping the table and laughing uproariously. It seemed even Nami hadn't expected Sanji to make such a joke.
"..."
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